The Myth of the Soul Blades
by bestrclfanficshere
Summary: The Legend of the Twin Soul Blades in the latter half of the 16th century before the Imjin War - the Japanese invasion of Chosun . The age old story of good versus evil. Comments welcomed and are taken as an indication to continue writing.
1. Prologue

He had observed the comings and goings of man from a distance and though humanity thought they grasped fair knowledge of His existence, their limited minds could only fathom glimpses of His omnipresence. Through the short span of time that constituted their existence, a mere five thousand years or so, they had bestowed so many names upon Him that He couldn't help but be amused at their feeble attempts to comprehend Him. They served their purpose though – they amused Him well enough.

But as He watched them repeat the same patterns of weakness and chase in vain after their various petty concerns, He grew bored with witnessing the same monotonous conflicts replayed in different banal permutations and decided to invent a new distraction to capture their imaginations. Since men seemed to require that their world be divided into a categorical good and evil, He would give them a new obsession to create a deeper schism amongst humanity. He would grant them both the power to destroy their world as well as the means to save it, and He would let them choose their own end. The strongest among them would wield this power and deliberate the outcome of their lesser peers. At the very least it would afford Him a few more centuries free from boredom. After that, if they proved to have outlived their usefulness, He would simply allow them to continue as the architects of their own demise. They wouldn't last much longer in any case.

Man appeared to have a penchant for weapons, war, and destruction so He decided that would be the nature of His instrument of discord. Fashioning two swords, one good, the other infused with malevolence, He hid them in opposite ends of the world and began to plant the seeds of their existence into the consciousness of its inhabitants. Now that the stage had been set, all that was left was to raise the curtains on its players and watch the chaos that would inevitably unfold.


	2. Chapter 1: Half of a Set

_Island of Honshu, Feudal Japan, 1564_

The screams of the farmers of Bizen filled the air as bands of warriors loyal to the various _daimyos_ fought for supremacy, plundering what they could as they passed. Unconcerned with the lives of the peasants, the mercenaries and samurai killed without hesitation, brutally murdering civilians before their family's eyes. In the farthest corner of the town, a woman attempted to gather her four young sons as her husband hastily threw together some provisions. The two youngest were identical twin boys, not even past two years of age. They would be the most difficult to manage, as they still could not run very quickly. Slinging a sack over his shoulder, the man cried, "Aki! _Hayaku-shiro_! They're getting closer!"

Turning to her four children, the woman explained, "Yoshitaka, Mikyo, listen to me very carefully. We're going to have to run from the bad men. Your father and I must carry Nobuhiro and Nobuhiko so I need you two to stay close at all times, understand?" Trembling, the boys nodded.

Grabbing Nobuhiro in his arms, her husband ordered, "We're leaving. Now!" Gathering Nobuhiko, she looked her two older sons in the eye and motioned for them to follow her. The family barely made it out the door when a small group of samurai on horseback caught sight of them. Turning their horses, they headed in their direction and grabbed the twins out of their parents' arms. Desperately trying to wrench back her son, the woman was felled with a single stroke of one of their swords. When her husband and two sons attempted to run to her, they were cut down just as mercilessly. Grinning, the men were about to dispatch the two remaining boys when a harsh voice stopped them.

"Animals! I see you are not above killing infants!" A stern-faced man glared at them with frank disapproval as the lowered their heads.

"_Uesugi-donno, sumimaseng_!" one bowed apologetically.

Looking at the two boys, Uesugi Kenshin rode closer. "What are your names?" he demanded.

"Nobuhiro and Nobuhiko," they said in unison.

The _daimyo_ couldn't help smiling at their yoked answer. "Which is which, I wonder," he mused aloud. "I will take one of you with me as my ward. The other will be sold as a slave." Looking at the soldiers holding the boys he added, "You two can split the profits."

One of the twins looked at Uesugi defiantly. "Take Hiko as your ward," he shouted gruffly.

Throwing back his head, he laughed at his caring display. "So young, yet so noble! I take it you are Nobuhiro then? Very well, Hiro-_kun_. Your bravery pleases me. You shall be my ward." Cocking his head to the samurai nearest him, he ordered, "Bring the boy."

"No! Hiko!" Nobuhiro shouted as they separated him from his brother.

"Come, come, Hiro. That won't do," Uesugi chided. "You must learn to be strong on your own in order to be a great warrior." Watching the child struggle to free himself, he smiled. "You need a sturdier name. From now on you are…Heishiro. Mitsurugi Heishiro. Doesn't that sound grand? It means 'calm but deadly man who wields a divine sword'. I like that." Spurring his horse on, he cheerfully said, "_Ikkuzo_, Heishiro-_kun_." The boy could only watch helplessly as his twin rode away.

* * *

_daimyo_: warlord in feudal Japan

_hayaku-shiro:_ hurry up!

_donno_: title of Lord

_sumimaseng_: please forgive us

-_kun_: male diminutive of –_san_

_ikkuzo_: let's go


	3. Chapter 2: Rising Sun and Morning Calm

Kenshin looked up from his calligraphy when he heard the soft rustle outside his door. "What is it?"

"Uesugi-_donno_, it is Heishiro," the voice declared.

Smiling, he put down his brush. "Come in." Sliding the wooden panel open, Heishiro bowed and knelt after entering the room. "What brings you to see me this morning, Heishiro?"

Now fourteen, the boy was beginning to show the signs of great promise. After taking up the sword at five, he had demonstrated an almost prodigy like affinity for the weapon. "Uesugi-_donno_, I wish to further my training and I ask for both your permission and advice to leave your household to train with the best swordsman you know."

He was so serious for a teenager. "Granted. The best swordsman in my opinion would be the head of the Murakami clan. I will arrange for you to stay with them." Bowing gratefully, he respectfully thanked his _daimyo_ and quietly left the room. Producing a clean sheet of rice paper, he pulled back the sleeve of his kimono jacket and began to write.

_My honored friend,_

_If it is not too great an inconvenience, may I impose upon you to teach a young man in my service? He wishes to master the katana and I can think of no one better to guide him than you. There is enormous promise in Heishiro and he has been like family to me for the last twelve years. I will await your answer and hope that you are well._

_Uesugi Kenshin_

Folding the smooth paper, he handed it to a servant outside his room. "See that it is sent."

"_Chichue_?" A young girl peered at him from around the corner.

"Asuka, what is it, child?"

A sad look crossed her angelic face. "Is he leaving?"

Beckoning his daughter to him, he smiled and sat her down. "Asuka, you've known that Heishiro has been wanting to leave for a while now." He knew how hard this would be on her as she was so attached to the boy.

"I know," she replied glumly. "I just didn't think it would be so soon." She looked at him with downcast eyes. "Where will he go?"

"I am sending him to the Murakami clan." He adjusted one of the ornamental combs in her hair. "There, he will become a master swordsman."

Pouting, she sniffed, "I thought you'd spoken of adopting Heishiro."

Because he had no male heirs, Kenshin had more than once considered making Heishiro the successor to his legacy, but the boy seemed to have no interest in politics. His devotion belonged wholly to his _katana_. "I don't think he has any desire for it," he told her gently.

"Won't you at least ask?" she sulkily demanded.

Kenshin laughed warmly at her unwillingness to let him go. "Why don't you marry him? Then he becomes my son by default."

"That would be acceptable," she agreed with absolute seriousness.

Trying to smother a laugh, Kenshin kept his face neutral and said, "It's a beautiful day outside. Why don't you go out and play?"

"Trying to get rid of me, _Chichue_?" she observed dryly.

"You're only ten Asuka," her father joked back. "Why don't you act like it? Adulthood can wait a little longer." Bowing, she swept out of the room.

Walking into the courtyard, she spied Heishiro beating a straw mannequin with a wooden sword. Impressed by his precise movements, she watched him as he thrust the stick with lightning speed, even throwing in a few flourishes for show. He turned abruptly when he heard her clapping. "Wonderful!" she exclaimed.

"Asuka, _jo-sama_," he bowed, looking at the ground.

She loved how serious he was all the time. "Asuka is fine," she informed him.

"It would be a breach of protocol for me to address the daughter of my _daimyo_ in such a familiar manner," he answered, still not looking at her.

"Do you really have to leave, Heishiro?" she blurted.

Surprised by the hurt tone in her voice, he looked up at her as she regarded him with a forlorn expression. "_Jo-sama_…"

She walked closer to him and noticed that he was begging to become quite tall. It was nice that he had to bend his head down to talk with her. "Why do you want to go so badly?"

Her constant attention had always made him uncomfortable since she first learned to speak. For whatever reason, she had developed an almost instant infatuation with him that had not diminished with time and out of politeness, he could not ask her to stop. "I have learned all that I can here and now require more advanced training."

"Is it me?"

As the daughter of his lord, it was odd for him to hear her speak so frankly to him and she treated him like an equal though he was merely her father's vassal. "_Jo-sama_, I – "

"Stop calling me that!" she snapped, stamping her foot.

"This has nothing to do with you," he assured her. She stared into his eyes for a long time before quietly walking away.

Across the sea, a young man drew his bow and shot his fifth arrow into the center of his target.

"_Kwanjugiyo_!"

He turned at the sound and grinned at the little boy who ran to him. "Yeol-ah. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to watch you practice your archery. You're the best in all of Chosun!"

The man laughed. "I think that's a bit of an exaggeration."

"No it isn't," he argued. "Everyone talks about what a good archer you are."

"Yeol! _Nappun-nom_! Come here!" a stern female voice ordered. The boy cringed as his mother marched up to him. "Let your father practice in peace."

"_Buhin_, it's alright," he said, smiling at his son.

"_Suhbang-nim_, your next military exam is less than two years away. I don't wish for any of us to distract you." Worry lined her pretty face.

"Oh, it was about time for me to come inside anyway. Yeol, shall we go inside?

"_Abuji_! Let's!"

As they walked towards their home, they noticed a man standing with his back to them, his hands leisurely held behind his back. When he heard their approach, he said, "Sun-Shin-ah, it's been a long time my friend."

Letting his son jump to the ground, he smiled broadly and grabbed the man by his arms in greeting. "Han-myeong-ah! What brings you here?"

Bowing his respects to his wife, Seong Han-Myeong grinned back and said, "I thought you were long overdue for a visit. May I come in?"

_donno_: my lord

_chichue_: extremely formal title for Father

_jo-sama_: mistress

kwanjugiyo: bulls-eye (Korean)

Chosun: Name of Korea during the Yi Dynasty

nappun-nom: bad boy

buhin: wife

suhbang-nim: husband

abuji: father


End file.
